Türkiye says ready to join multinational force in Gaza

ANKARA

Türkiye is prepared to take part in an international peace mission in Gaza following a recently brokered ceasefire, the Defense Ministry said on Oct. 16.

"With the experience gained in previous peace missions, the Turkish Armed Forces is ready to undertake any task entrusted to it for the establishment and maintenance of peace within the framework of international law," ministry sources told reporters during a weekly briefing in Ankara.

Preparations for the planned task force were ongoing in coordination with other state institutions, the sources said, highlighting urgent humanitarian aid delivery and infrastructure reconstruction as top priorities.

"We welcome the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and believe it is an important step towards establishing lasting peace in the region," ministry spokesman Zeki Aktürk said.

"We hope this development will be a beginning that will open the door to a comprehensive, fair and sustainable peace and ultimately contribute to the goal of a two-state solution."

Defense Minister Yaşar Güler earlier reaffirmed Ankara’s readiness to participate in the mission after meeting with NATO counterparts.

"We emphasized... our satisfaction with the ceasefire achieved in Gaza and that this ceasefire should be the beginning of a two-state fair solution, the importance of the ceasefire being fully implemented and uninterrupted humanitarian aid," Güler said in a written statement.

A declaration signed on Oct. 13 in Egypt by U.S. President Donald Trump and regional leaders aims to solidify a long-sought peace deal in Gaza.

Under the plan, Israel will conduct a partial withdrawal from Gaza, to be replaced by an international force coordinated by a U.S.-led command center, including Turkish, Egyptian, Qatari and Emirati troops.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas returned the last 20 surviving hostages to Israel, and said it had handed back all the bodies of deceased captives that it could access.

The remains of 19 hostages are still unaccounted for, with Hamas saying it would need specialist recovery equipment to retrieve them from the ruins of Gaza.

Türkiye has deployed dozens of disaster relief experts to search for the remains of hostages still missing in Gaza.

A Turkish defense ministry source said that "there is already a team of 81 AFAD staff there", referring to Türkiye's disaster relief agency, indicating that "one team will be in charge of seeking and finding the bodies."

Meanwhile, Türkiye appointed diplomat Mehmet Güllüoğlu as the Palestinian Humanitarian Aid Coordinator to oversee humanitarian operations in Gaza and liaise with local authorities and international organizations.

Güllüoğlu, who arrived in the region with his team on Oct. 15, “will conduct investigations to identify the humanitarian aid materials and priorities needed in Gaza and will coordinate with United Nations agencies,” Foreign Ministry sources said on Oct. 16.

He is tasked with ensuring that aid sent from Türkiye reaches those in need efficiently and with strengthening the country's health assistance for Gaza, including the evacuation of patients.

Since Israel’s attacks began in October 2023, Türkiye has delivered 102,000 tons of humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza by sea and air, according to officials.

Israel: Rafah crossing to open only for people

Israel said the date for the opening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt would be announced at a later stage and that it would only be open for the movement of people.

"The date for the opening of the Rafah crossing for the movement of people only will be announced at a later stage, once the Israeli side, together with the Egyptian side, completes the necessary preparations for the crossing's opening," said a statement from COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry body that oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories.

"It should be emphasised that humanitarian aid will not pass through the Rafah crossing. This was never agreed upon at any stage," the statement said, adding that "aid continues to enter the Gaza Strip" through other crossings.

The Rafah crossing is a strategic gateway to the outside world for the Gaza Strip, and international organisations hope that the crossing point will enable a surge of aid to be delivered to the devastated territory.

Israel returned the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza yesterday, bringing the total number handed over to 120, the Hamas-run Health Ministry and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said.

Under a ceasefire deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned.

Later Thursday, Hamas handed over two more bodies to Israel and said it had returned all the remains of deceased captives that it could access.